A dangerous driver who crashed into parked car as he attempted to flee from police in Daybrook has been jailed.
Alan Jackson, aged 44, was spotted driving with suspected cloned numberplates and was followed by officers on routine patrol.
As Jackson continued along the A60 towards Nottingham, the Ford Fiesta he was driving was successfully targeted by a police Stinger device.
Undeterred by his punctured tires, Jackson attempted to flee from the pursuing officers – driving on the wrong side of the road as he passed through red traffic lights.
He was eventually boxed in by two police cars – but not before colliding with a parked car in Daybrook. Thankfully nobody was injured.
Jackson gave a false name to officers when he was arrested on the evening of Saturday October 2, 2021.
He then tried to shift the blame to his female passenger, falsely claiming she was driving at the time of the incident.
He later admitted to charges of dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, and two unrelated counts of assault.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, Jackson, of no fixed address, was jailed for 18 months.
PC Leanne George, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “In a forlorn bid to escape from officers, Jackson drove in a reckless and dangerous way – placing himself, his passenger and other members of the public at significant risk of harm.
“He had absolutely no right to be on the road in the first place and was fortunate not to have caused further harm.
“This incident is yet another reminder of the power of modem technology and its ability to alert officers instantly to people who are committing offences on our roads. By using this technology to target people like Jackson we’re helping to keep the wider public safe.
“I am pleased he has now been punished and hope he uses his time in prison to reassess the direction of his life.”
Two suspects were arrested after police were called about a break-in at Woodthorpe.
Officers were called to Chestnut Walk when a member of the public reported a break-in at the garage of a nearby property.
Damage was reported to a car inside and two 15-year-old boys were arrested at the scene on suspicion of burglary and cannabis possession. They remain in police custody.
Inspector Ben Lawrence, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “These kinds of offences cause considerable upset and inconvenience to residents and we will always respond very quickly when we learn of them.
“On this occasion we very quickly apprehend two suspects and our investigation continues.”
Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to call 101 quoting incident 816 of 18 May 2022.
Work to create an £8.5m ‘fish pass’ that will allow them to swim freely up the River Trent at Colwick is gathering pace.
The structure at Holme Sluices will be the largest of its kind in the country and will serve as an ‘elevator’ to allow fish to hop up and downstream.
The Environment Agency said there were presently a number of barriers to fish migration within the River Trent catchment.
These include the Holme Sluices, a major flood management structure that was built in the 1950s.
The agency says the direct environmental benefits of the fish pass will be £18.6m.
PICTURED: Artist’s impression of the completed fish pass in Colwick
Over the last few months construction workers have been diverting the road and services at the site in Colwick Country Park, and clearing the site ready for the sheet piling, with some now installed along the north section.
A new bridge has also been installed at the entrance to Colwick Country Park to enable the heavy cranes and piling rigs to access the fish pass site.
The project is due to be completed in 2023.
Simon Ward, fisheries technical specialist, said: “Our priority is to open up the River Trent for all fish species.
“By installing fish passage, it will become easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds.”
He said the agency was working with a number of partners on the wider project for the river, known as the Trent Gateway, and other possible plans could include a visitor centre telling the story of the Trent, its history, ecology and how it has shaped communities along its length.
The number of Nottinghamshire children whose family circumstances mean they qualify for free school meals has soared by around 10,000 since the start of the pandemic.
At least 29,885 pupils were known to be eligible for food support in the county’s schools during the Easter holidays last month.
And data published by the authority last year confirmed the number of known eligible children in March 2020 – right at the beginning of the Covid pandemic – was 19,061 countywide.
It means the number of children whose families requiring support with food has increased by about 57 per cent in two years.
The latest figure also represents more than one in four of the 113,451 children who were on the roll in Nottinghamshire schools during a census survey conducted in January this year.
And it comes at a time when families across Nottinghamshire and the country are facing a surge in the cost of living.
Children and families are eligible for free school meals when households meet a set of criteria – including being on Universal Credit with a net income of no more than £7,400.
Families on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance are also eligible.
And parents receiving Child Tax Credit are also eligible, permitting they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190.
The data has led to concern from opposition councillors in Nottinghamshire, with the figures described as “shocking”.
Councillor Debbie Darby (Ind), who represents Collingham, is the Independent Alliance’s spokesperson for children and young people.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “These figures are shocking and show child hunger continues to rise across our county.
“They are the single biggest indicator of poverty, and we expect these figures to rise and rise again as the cost of living increases.
“A growing number of residents are increasingly becoming reliant on food banks, but many are being put off by the bad publicity surrounding them – especially lately.
“These figures show that residents, including my area of Newark, are going hungry. It’s not a case of heat or eat – many can do neither.”
Cllr Michelle Welsh, Labour’s spokesperson on the issue, added: “When you consider foodbank usage is at its highest ever number in this country, this shows the cost of living crisis is one of increasing levels of child poverty across Nottinghamshire.
“Free school meals are incredibly important, clearly the families who rely on them should get the support they need, but people will be rightly asking the question ‘why are these numbers going up?’
“Wages are falling at a time when inflation is surging, the cost of living crisis is sky-rocketing, and as a result Nottinghamshire families are really struggling and in many cases aren’t able to make ends meet.”
Conservative-led Nottinghamshire County Council is planning to approve provision for free school meal vouchers for all eligible pupils during the half-term holiday later this month.
A delegated decision will be taken by Cllr John Cottee (Con), cabinet member for communities, on approving about £450,000 in vouchers for the one-week school break through the Household Support Fund.
Under the proposals, each child would receive vouchers to the value of £3 per day, or £15 for the five-day week, to support families with food during the half-term.
The council has operated this project in the most recent school holidays over the past six months.
Cllr Cottee is expected to approve the funding during the delegated decision on Tuesday (May 24) – the first of its kind since a return to cabinet governance.
In a statement, he said: “I’m proud that we have decided to use the Household Support Fund to once again fund thousands of free school meals for pupils from low-income households during the school holidays.
“We’ve taken these steps because we understand the cost of living is hurting local families, and we want to use what is in our toolbox to ease the pressure.
“I hope that struggling families whose children are eligible for free school meals will now feel more comfortable as we approach the half-term holidays.”
Nottinghamshire County Council has announced that free school meal vouchers will be issued to those most in need during the next half-term in May and June.
The decision has been taken by Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities, with more than 25,000 eligible youngsters from low-income households in Nottinghamshire expected to benefit.
The council will fund the 125,000 meal vouchers from the government’s Household Support Fund.
PICTURED: County Hall
Nottinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor John Cottee, said: “I’m proud that we have decided to use the Household Support Fund to once again fund thousands of free school meals for pupils from low-income households during the school holidays.
“We’ve taken these steps because we understand that the cost-of-living is hurting local families, and we want to use what is in our toolbox to ease the pressure.
“I hope that struggling families whose children are eligible for free school meals will now feel more comfortable as we approach the half-term holidays.”
Funding has been secured to create a protected cycle lane between Colwick and Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield.
The money will come from of a £4.63m pot of cash handed out by the Department for Transport to fund Nottinghamshire County Council’s Active Travel Fund work.
The new proposed cycle track would run along Colwick Loop Road between Private Road 1 and the popular retail park.
The council said it would ‘create a high standard route that improves cycle access to a key retail site from nearby residential areas and the city.’
The funding would secure the delivery of the necessary design, consultation, and approval process.
Active travel schemes aim to encourage residents to undertake more local journeys by foot and by bike. The schemes could also have longer-term benefits, including reduced congestion and improved air quality.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, chairman of the Transport and Environment Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Nationally over the last year, cycling has risen by 46%, the highest increase since the 1960’s.
“There are many reasons more people in Nottinghamshire have looked at their transport options and our successful bid highlights the Council’s commitment to make sure that walking and cycling are encouraged within our communities.”
The Co-op have confirmed that they plan to sell a store in Gedling.
The shop on Gedling Road has been sold to a new operator, who will takeover the store in July.
It’s believed the store has been sold to The Highbury Vale Limited – a Notts-based company who run several Londis stores in the city.
Gedling Eye contacted Co-op after readers got in touch with us about rumours of a sale.
The retailer today confirmed to us that the store is to be sold and jobs protected.
A spokesperson for Co-operative Group, who own the store, said: “The Co-op is moving forward with a clear purpose and momentum and while this often involves opening new stores, we also regularly review our existing locations.
“The decision to sell any store is not taken lightly and, only after careful consideration is our store in Gedling Road to be sold.
“Our priority has been to safeguard local jobs, and colleagues – who have been informed – will transfer under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations (TUPE) to the new operator.
They added: “We would like to thank the community for its support of the store over the years.”
The last day of trading as a Co-op store is expected to be July 9, 2022
A Co-op store is located nearby on Westdale Road which is owned by the Central England Co-operative.
Police will be permitted to stop and search people without suspicion of a crime under new powers to combat knife violence.
The Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday permanently lifted restrictions on police’s use of stop and search in areas where they anticipate there may be serious violence.
The move will make it easier for officers to enact section 60 powers, allowing them to mount “no suspicion” stop and searches in designated areas rather than requiring them to have “reasonable grounds” to suspect a person is carrying a weapon.
Removing the restrictions means that more officers can authorise section 60, the powers can be in place for longer and can be used when police anticipate that serious violence “may” occur rather than “will” occur.
The move coincides with the launch of Operation Sceptre – a week of intensive action from every police force in England and Wales to combat knife crime up and down the country.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The devastating impact of knife crime on families who have lost their loved one is unbearable. No one should have to endure the pain and suffering of the victims of these appalling crimes and we have a responsibility to them to do everything in our power to prevent future tragedies.
“Since 2019, the police have removed over 50,000 knives and offensive weapons from our streets and in the 2 years to March 2021, over 150,000 arrests were made following stop and search, preventing thousands of possible fatal injuries.
“I stand wholeheartedly behind the police so that they can build on their work to drive down knife crime by making it easier for officers to use these powers to seize more weapons, arrest more suspects and save more lives.”
Since 2019, stop and search use has increased by around 85% and has contributed to over 50,000 deadly knives and offensive weapons being taken off our streets.
The government has further signalled its commitment to support police forces to use stop and search powers today by launching a consultation to make it easier for officers to search known knife carriers.
This follows the introduction of Serious Violence Reduction Orders under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act passed last month which will give the police the power to stop and search adults who have previously been convicted for knife or other offensive weapon crimes.
These measures are intended to help further drive down knife crime after recent statistics have indicated there has been a 4% decrease in stabbings in the year to December 2021. From March 2019 until now, stabbings have fallen around 10%.
A Mapperley man who started writing a year ago while recovering fromtwo brain haemorrhages has completed his first novel due to be published this month.
Soon after being rushed to A&E, Sci-Fi fan Bruce Roberts experienced vivid images of the novel he was about to write.
Advised to lie flat for a month, the narrative took shape as he lay looking at the ceiling. Although he couldn’t physically write, he spoke his ideas into his phone or dictated them to his wife Sue.
Bruce, a self-employed e-learning content developer from Mapperley, hadn’t written any stories since he was at school decades earlier. His novel features characters he created for a sci-fi convention four years previously. He said the haemorrhages released his creativity.
“My brain did a rewire. It was like being hit by a sledgehammer. Everything was brighter and became better. I started to have vivid dreams about characters I’d created for EmCon and the novel stemmed from there.”
As soon as he could use a computer, he wrote prolifically, penning more than 1,000 words a day to complete his 103,000-word novel.
“I’d wake up at stupid o clock at night, creep out of the bedroom and start scribbling.”
Bruce’s book The Godot Orange, is a multi-media experience, containing QR codes that when scanned take the reader to a whole new interactive world including images and music.
It tells the story of the TimeTech Team – who Bruce describes as ‘A breakdown organisation like the AA or RAC for time travellers’. It’s a journey of discovery through time and space with locations including New York, Berlin, Brussels, and a secret airbase between Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe.
The blurb reads: “Saving the universe one day before yesterday wasn’t high on Eddie and Will’s to-do list as the wheels of their Vulcan bomber left the tarmac on that cold winter’s day. Impending doom can quickly change your priorities. Have you ever wondered, when disaster strikes, how great it would be to be able to turn back time, or at least call for help from a time technician?”
The novel, which Bruce says is a ‘humorous take on the 1970s’ has received glowing endorsements from a Dr Who Book Author, a Cambridge Biophysicist and a former Vulcan pilot.
Some of Bruce’s vivid dreams were about locations, including a pub in Lincolnshire which turned out uncannily similar to a real setting which Bruce had never visited. On a day out in Lincolnshire, Bruce and Sue also found places that fitted some of his other visions including a ruined monastery and an airfield.
Bruce’s wife Sue took him to hospital a year ago when symptoms he’d been experiencing for a week – which he attributed to an ear infection – grew suddenly worse.
“I started to feel drunk when I hadn’t touched a drop,” said Bruce. “Although my symptoms eased off at night, they’d return in the daytime and by Friday I was like someone staggering out of the pub.”
He then experienced a catastrophic bleed on the brain and within 15 minutes couldn’t walk, speak, or operate his phone.
Because lockdown restrictions were in place, Sue was not allowed to stay with him.
“I had 30 seconds to explain what had happened. They promised they’d see him next,” she said.
A CT scan revealed the brain haemorrhages. Fluid had been leaking out of his spine causing a bleed on the brain into his frontal lobe which led to memory problems.
Because of COVID, he was discharged quickly and told to rest. Despite a relapse in August with similar symptoms, a scan in October revealed the haemorrhages had healed.
Sue said: “Writing has really helped Bruce with his recovery. Going within a year from being incapacitated to finishing a novel is amazing.”
Whilst writing his novel, he has been trying to rebuild his business with the aid of his colleague who is based in Kyiv.
The Godot Orange is due to be published on 28th May by Lady Adey Publications. Copies will be available through bookshops including Blackwell, Barnes & Noble, Foyles, Waterstones and Amazon.
Bruce is launching his novel at the Em-Con Convention in the Motorpoint Arena on 28th & 29th May where he’ll be signing copies.
